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What do you consider to be good swag?


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I've found that to be true in a lot of caches. I think the issue is that not everyone trades even or up, so the good items get traded out for not so good. And eventually COs just don't bother putting in good items anymore to begin with. I don't really know how to fix that. I tend not to trade either, but I just like finding the cache :)

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Honestly, I like the little wooden tokens with other cachers names on them. I also found a geocacher baseball card once. If I find a container big enough I will leave stuff for the kids little things like stickers balls marbles. There are other posts that talk about different things to leave if ya search the older posts. Sadly, everyone doesn't trade fair. I will often leave a handful of stuff in containers because there is nothing in them and I'm sure the CO put some cute stuff in them for the kiddos.

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I like other cachers signature items. Some are very creative and funny lol. Also small stuff I can use, like bandanas, germ-x. We even have a cacher here who leaves a trash bag in a rx bottle in most caches with cito written on the side. So if I find those sometimes I do a little bit of cache in trash out.

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I'm a noob. I only have about 22 caches logged. Every cache I've found hasn't had anything really good in it and I don't usually bother to take anything. I'd like some ideas to improve the caches I find.

 

Thanks

Kara

 

It would be interesting to know what new cachers are hoping to find when they go out on their first few hunts. I would say, put into caches what you expected to find when you first started the game. With the exceptions of what is outlined in the guidelines:

 

People of all ages hide and seek caches, so think carefully before placing an item into a cache. Explosives, ammunition, knives, drugs and alcohol should not be placed in a cache. Respect the local laws.

 

Food items are always a bad idea. Animals have better noses than humans, and in some cases caches have been chewed through and destroyed because of food items in a cache. Please do not put food in a cache.

 

I love the swag side of the geocaching game (even if I don't often trade items -- just love that pirate treasure aspect and pawing through the stuff). I too look for ideas via the forums. Most often people don't like the stuff in the cache yet don't say what they were expecting. I'd really like to know what a newbie imagines might be in the cache before they visit their very first swag size cache.

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I'm a noob. I only have about 22 caches logged. Every cache I've found hasn't had anything really good in it and I don't usually bother to take anything. I'd like some ideas to improve the caches I find.

 

Thanks

Kara

I'm always at my caches adding new stuff I like getting the muggle cards cool foreign money.keychains,whistles. Any type of pins.
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Trade or not, I like to leave mini glow sticks. Fun for kids of all ages.

 

The people at my local dollar store probably think I am supplying a rave or something, given the quantities I purchase.

 

glow+sticks+%252821%2529.jpg

 

I really like the glow stick idea. I will have to add that to my list.

 

As for me, I like take things like dice, playing cards, etc. Especially when caching in or around camping areas.

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When caching with the kids I try to find larger caches for the swag, we always trade stuff equally if possible, although half the time what is put in I would prefer to let the kids have and leave the junk in the cache, but the kids like to trade. When on my own I don't trade, nothing in nothing out. So for me I like to see kid friendly stuff, that will survive cache life so not stickers, my kids like those but they not good after a few days or weeks in a slightly damp cache. Small plastic toys, marbles, plastic treasure coins (not geocoins but play money) are the best thing we have found they see it as real treasure what ever it is. We found you can get stuff for kids party bags that seams to be the right size and equal trade-able with the stuff the kids like, I think others locally have found the same thing.

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I make mini dreamcatchers out of colored threads and bangle bracelets. Also any small trinket I see that catches my eye when I'm out, a tiny sequenced elephant, a unique bead or token, just random things I think are cool. We mostly did trash in caches around here, so I don't have anything to compare too.

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I love to find travel bugs but they are almost never there even though the cache page says they are. I like to find signature items, geocoins, . We always try to leave several things in caches, but usually don't take anything since most caches just have trashy stuff.

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been leaving a couple of fabric bandaids in a clear bag for those cachers who run into a bramble or thorn - ouch :yikes: ....

marbles for the kidzzzzzz...and sometimes poison ivy ointment in original blister packs.... hand warmers work well too...

[clear small bags found in diff sizes in craft/beading section of walmart - great to rebag log sheets too]...

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I always carry a geocaching backpack with me. One pocket full of caching tools (tweezers, scissors, flashlight, telescoping magnet, etc.), one pocket full of stuff to fix caches (replacement logs, tape, wire, extra containers), one pocket full of first aid stuff and the BIG pocket full of swag. I put a lot of thought into my swag and restock it often.

 

I like to leave stuff for both adults and kids alike. For kids - new toys, glow sticks, school supplies, books, magic trick sets, playing cards. For adults, caribiners (I know I always love finding them), compasses, tweezers, space pens, mesh bird feeders for finches, thin gloves, vinyl repair kits, laser pointers and flashlights, pet toys and pet waste bags in dispensers, all kinds of stuff. We also had some mailing labels printed up with our caching name that also say "Happy Caching" and we put the stickers on the swag we leave.

 

The last thing I carry is a ton of golf pencils and little sharpeners. I put them in most caches I find that can hold them.

 

We're not big on taking swag unless it's something we can really use, but almost always leave something knowing that one of the next cachers will probably enjoy it.

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I'm a noob. I only have about 22 caches logged. Every cache I've found hasn't had anything really good in it and I don't usually bother to take anything. I'd like some ideas to improve the caches I find.

 

Thanks

Kara

 

I wouldn't bother. I did this sort of thing at first - brought swag along and added it to caches that seemed to need it. However, this soon got to be expensive, even with dollar store stuff. Any good swag will disappear in short order. If you want to put good swat out, at least save it for your own caches.

 

As per what is good swag, the only thing I trade for is pins. Other than that, I'll be happy with McToys in the cache if my kids are along.

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I'm a noob. I only have about 22 caches logged. Every cache I've found hasn't had anything really good in it and I don't usually bother to take anything. I'd like some ideas to improve the caches I find.

 

Thanks

Kara

Right on ! We try to do that at caches so other people can experience something good. We have come to a few where cxachers before should have wrote down the cache was in a state of NM fast. No one seems to use that button at all so we come prepared to dry them change there log bag give them new swag every time.

 

Pins whistles foreign money those are cool to collect or path tags

Edited by Off Grid
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I like the little plastic men. Seems to be one in nearly half the caches I find. I also like carabiners or anything unique. I have a large glass jar on my desk that I dump all the swag I snag into so I can look at it while I toil through my workday.

 

I bought some of those wooden coins and have personalized them and usually leave one of those in exchange. We also periodically clean out my daughters rooms and inevitably add some stuff to our swag supply for trading.

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I always carry a geocaching backpack with me. One pocket full of caching tools (tweezers, scissors, flashlight, telescoping magnet, etc.), one pocket full of stuff to fix caches (replacement logs, tape, wire, extra containers), one pocket full of first aid stuff and the BIG pocket full of swag. I put a lot of thought into my swag and restock it often.

 

I like to leave stuff for both adults and kids alike. For kids - new toys, glow sticks, school supplies, books, magic trick sets, playing cards. For adults, caribiners (I know I always love finding them), compasses, tweezers, space pens, mesh bird feeders for finches, thin gloves, vinyl repair kits, laser pointers and flashlights, pet toys and pet waste bags in dispensers, all kinds of stuff. We also had some mailing labels printed up with our caching name that also say "Happy Caching" and we put the stickers on the swag we leave.

 

The last thing I carry is a ton of golf pencils and little sharpeners. I put them in most caches I find that can hold them.

 

We're not big on taking swag unless it's something we can really use, but almost always leave something knowing that one of the next cachers will probably enjoy it.

 

Nice list. Thank you for sharing it.

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well I have some clay stars that were made by my nieces and nephews and then I also have phone charms and earrings that I have made.

 

I always fill my caches up with toys for the kids. so currently I have rings, coins, army men and lizards to go into the caches

 

I don't normally take things from caches (other than TBs) but I do like to look at whats there. I don't normally find anything that I would consider swapping.

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I think this game could improve on swagg items. I know I have a bunch of cool stuff I add to new caches and put in ours. Its not going to be worth my time listing it on ebay and I don't need it. It is what it is so I just enjoy finding the containers. Swagg was more fun in the beginning and is fun for kids. Wish there was a way to improve it.

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I find the quality of swag in many caches I find to be.... well... lacking. It is mostly crap even kids would not consider fun or exciting. I have only found 16 or so to date, but after 3 I made it a rule to improve each one I find. So every one I clean up and take out the broken crayons, the k-cups, and business cards, and place in whistles (purchased bulk on the bay for $4) Punched pennies with Cool symbols on them (also purchased bulk on the bay for $6) and some foreign currency when I know it will not get wet. I also just found a nice glass magnet maker who does them for under a buck each... picking up a few of them too. Not trackables but still cool stuff. And for ones near scouting places I leave scouting patches.

 

I am really tired of crappy caches, and whats with all the micros when you could have placed a super extra large container there... just to lazy? I mean really hike 4 miles for a micro in the middle of nowhere hidden in a tree branch when you could have placed a 5 gallon bucket there and hid it just as easy? Micros are no fun for kids...

 

Ohh well Off to finish my own caches getting ready to be placed.

 

Farseer

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I made a lot of beaded bracelets, button bracelets, and bead/button things (like keychains, charms, or chainpulls, etc) for swag. I figure that'd be good, for a good portion of adults and kids alike. I also make my own siggy items from washers. When I buy stuff, I try to buy some non-typical dollar store toys for kids...like I found these rubber bracelets once, just band, and had butterflies and frogs on them. Glow sticks. decks of cards, dice set. I will lots of times pick up intersting things, or bags of fun little stuff at yard sales, or antique stores, too.

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That's some good SWAG Lone R

 

They're not my caches, just a few internet photos. I want to get a feel for what people think is nice swag and what they think is junk. The first 2 are most typical of the caches I find. The last two are probably how some caches start off but end up more like the first two (i.e. if the cache is kept clean and dry). I think all 4 are nice examples of geoswag. As an adult cacher I like the last 2 for the more grown-up useful swag: caribiners, sunscreen/repellant towelettes but the kids stuff is cute and fun to rummage through.

 

Most of the truly junky geocaches I've found are because the cache owner placed a non-watertight cache and doesn't (or rarely) performs maintenance. The contents get dirty and wet. People are less likely to leave nice stuff in a messy cache. The problem gets worse with time.

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I've always tried to leave something super awesome. Or something tiny, like a guitar pick or pin that could be useful and have value because of it's story. In the caches I've hidden and the caches I've traded with I've left funny things like Enrique Iglesias' biography and double cd lol. We tend to accumulate a lot of interesting, but generally useless junk, so I figure I could pass it along to someone else after the novelty wears off. Recently I hid a macabre themed geocache (called the necronomicache) and made the lid to look like that of the Necronomicon in the movie Evil Dead. I filled it with horror-themed items like prosthetic wounds, fake bones and skulls, a vial of fake blood, stickers, horror novels for kids and adults, a copy of the dvd Santa Claus vs. The Martians. I always leave better swag than what I take, and usually more, if only for the kids who find it. If I can't stop at the dollar tree or thrift store to find interesting things, I've always got left-overs from craft projects, junk that my children have accumulated etc. I am still a noob as well, but I don't think my desire to leave sweet swag will deteriorate over time.

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I too like replenishing caches with extra stuff when I find them. I like keeping an eye out for things that might make good swag. I picked up some novelty keychains from a thrift store for a quarter each, and some places like gift shops will have a thing where you can get a scoop of tumbled stones for cheap. I make some simple bead bracelets or necklaces; a few cents worth of string, maybe 10c worth of bulk beads. I collect neat seashells or interesting stones or driftglass. And if I do take something out of a cache, I usually just carry it around for a little while before putting it back in another cache.

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I am a beader, so my signature swag is a tiny beaded flower (looks like a tulip) that is small enough to fit in a small container and even most micros that aren't nanos. But I'm very thankful for this topic b/c I'm getting a cache bag together that I will take with some tools, and I wanted to expand the swag I leave. When I do 20 a day in the same area, it would be nice to leave something other than flowers for the next person who does the same 20 in a row.

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My signature item is a flat glass gem with a hand-drawn spider attached to the flat side. The "Anansi" part of my name refers to a West African trickster god who takes the shape of a spider, so it seems to fit. My minimal artistic skills mean that a stylized spider or web is just about all I can manage, but they look pretty good.

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Small bottles of whiskey are always a nice find. M-80s, dime baggies of marijuana, and perhaps some Playboy magazines from the 80s are a pleasant surprise (for the articles of course). The smell of chewing gum or hard candies usually absorbs any mold smell, and when they melt it makes a pretty cool design by meshing all of the swag together. If you get lucky a bear will smell it also, and leave a rather interesting bite mark on the side. Broken kids toys are in almost every cache. At first I could not understand the reason, but then I realized that they will likely stay there forever, and add an kitchy iconic touch to it. Every cache eventually turns into a collaborative shabby chic art project worthy of careful study and preservation.

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I just started geocaching a couple of months ago, but I've come to really enjoy the little trinkets you find in most caches, whether its kids stuff or just junk from the dollar store. My husband and I carry a bunch of different sized trading items in our backpack when ever we go geocaching, and while I don't always find something to take from caches we find, when ever I do find something cute or interesting (or something that reminds me of when I was a kid) I swap it out. I have a little bag of "trophies" ranging from little toy animals, bouncy balls, jewelry, kinder surprise toys, etc. Nothing special. They don't have to be useful IMO, they just have to catch my interest!

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We like to collect the wooden nickel sig items, also any neat pins that we can attach to our backpack. If the granddaughter is along, she likes to look through the swag. But if it's a wet cache, she won't even look. We leave a rubber duck with our team name on the bottom and also a beaded keychain with a duck charm on the bottom. These are put in the tiny bags from a craft store with our team member names on a card enclosed with each. I've heard that there is at least 1 person collecting all our ducks as she finds them.

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we have a little shop in my town that takes donated items and re-sells them to raise money to support the local food pantry. You can find some great stuff like buttons, pins, magnets, figurines ect. You can stock up on a bunch of cool items and not break the bank while helping a local charity at the same time.

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We are new cachers as well. We cache as a family with a 6-year-old, so we tend to leave items for kids, since that is what we are usually hoping to find for dd's sake.

The few caches we've found so far have been full of junk, but luckily, our little one still enjoys the hunt and seems to enjoy leaving nicer things to make the cache enjoyable for the next person.

Last week we went to party city and went down the favor aisle and purchased some fun items to fill caches with the next time we are out. It was inexpensive and dd is excited about 'sprucing up' some caches. They are just little party favors like keychains, tattoos, mini kaleidoscopes, etc.

I was going to post a pic of some of the items we purchased but it won't let me, I guess because I'm not a premium member- again: geared toward the kiddos. I also purchased some OFF wipes to put in caches, as we have been caught out caching without bug spray and figure fellow cachers might appreciate them.

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151758770350941&set=o.170580729762177&type=1&theater

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